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Contrary to some reports, George Steinbrenner is in good health, and he's willing to have anyone that doesn't believe it come and conduct a workout with him.

Steinbrenner in a rare interview with the AP said, "No, I did not have a stroke. I am not ill. I work out daily." He the goes on to say, "I'd like to see people who are saying that to come down here and do the workout that I do," he said.

On control of the club: "I have relinquished pretty much all control of the Yankees. I had to make room for the young people. You can't hold them back."

On the Yankees place in sports history: "We are the first billion-dollar baseball team," he says. "I never dreamt the team would ever be worth that much when we bought it for $8.8 million ... I'd say that was a pretty good investment."

On the Yankee's fans: [A]s "loyal and knowledgeable like no others in the world."

Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada, the two San Francisco Chronicle reporters that wrote Game of Shadows will learn today if they will serve jail time for not revealing who leaked to them secret grand jury testimony as it related to the BALCO investigation, part of which relates to testimony given by Barry Bonds.

As reported by the AP, The government will ask U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White on Thursday for an 18-month term. The reporters are seeking a "nominal monetary fine" and other punishment "short of full blown incarceration," including house arrest and weekend jailing, according to court documents.

Williams and Fainaru-Wada have said repeatedly they would go to jail rather than comply with the grand jury's subpoena and reveal their source or sources. (The AP)

The cost of attending post-season games at Yankee Stadium has increased from the year prior. Newsday is reporting that some bleacher seats that were $20 for the Division series last year will be going for $56. One fan who, "who attend about two dozen games a season and pay about $18 per ticket," would need to pay $66 per ticket, before service charges.

Other costs:

$206 - Top cost for a ticket to a Division Series game at Yankee Stadium

$281 - Top cost for a League Championship Series ticket

$431 - Top cost for a World Series ticket

Individual division series tickets range from $22 to $206 for a field championship seat.

Individual league championship tickets range from $56 to $281 for a field championship seat.

Individual World Series tickets range from $71 to $431 for a field championship seat.

John Henry and the Fenway Sports Group are in talks to purchase as much as 50% of Roush Racing. Estimated price would be in excess of $50 million. Why the tie in? Brand diverisification for the Red Sox and marketing opportunities for Roush Racing.

Both the Fenway Sports Group and Roush Racing confirmed the talks, but both said there is no agreement.

Roush Racing has been a top team in NASCAR as of late: 15 races were won by the team last year, and 5 are in the championship series for the Nextel Cup this season. As reported:

The Roush deal is part of the strategy by Red Sox ownership -- a partnership called New England Sports Ventures -- to diversify its revenue beyond baseball and New England Sports Network. Fenway Sports Group is a key to that effort. Its best-known client is Boston College's sports teams; it also negotiated a deal this year for Lumber Liquidators to become title sponsor of a truck for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series.

For the Red Sox, these non baseball opportunities are particularly valuable because they are not subject to Major League Baseball's revenue-sharing tax. But they also raise dicey questions for Henry & Co. For instance, if the Red Sox owners can spend $50 million on a NASCAR team, why can the Yankees outspend them by $75 million a year for players? And why should taxpayers kick in for improvements around Fenway Park?

Angels owner Arte Moreno has made it clear that being out of contention the past two seasons is not something he intends to see for a third season.

Before the Angels game yesterday, Moreno made a pledge, "I'll guarantee we're going to do something major," Moreno said. "We explored it before, but now we have goals we want to attain and that we will accomplish, whether through free agency or trades."

Moreno would not get into specific details of what the changes would be, but given the lack of offense this past season, the acquisition of a bat or two seems likely.

The Angels owner met Tuesday with key members of his staff including the major league coaching staff, several front-office executives and the team's major league scouts as they prepare for next season.

As reported, $73.5 million is committed to the 10 players under contract for 2007, and significant raises to closer Francisco Rodriguez and Scot Shields will boost the payroll to about $83.5 million.

As to whether GM Bill Stoneman is on the hot seat, Moreno signaled that his position is safe. "Everyone wants instant satisfaction — that's tough," Moreno said. "You've got to have stability. If you have a revolving door, where every year you have a new GM and manager….I won't want that. If you want to point the finger, point it at me." (The LA Times)

HOUSTON – The Houston Astros today unveiled their home schedule for the 2007 championship season, which begins at Minute Maid Park for a seventh consecutive year and at home for the 23rd time in the last 26 years. Opening Day for the Astros is set for Monday, April 2, 2007, at 6:05 p.m. versus the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Astros open the 2007 campaign with a six-game homestand against two National League Central foes – the Pittsburgh Pirates (April 2-4) and St. Louis Cardinals (April 6-8). Houston also closes the season at Minute Maid Park, with a three-game homestand vs. the Atlanta Braves (Sept. 28-30). Additionally, the Astros will play two exhibition games at home vs. the Kansas City Royals on Friday, March 30 (7:05 p.m.) and Saturday, March 31 (1:05 p.m.).

The schedule features three homes series vs. the Cardinals with two weekend matchups (April 6-8, June 1-3), and a midweek series (Aug. 28-30). Other key series at Minute Maid Park include four-game sets with both the Colorado Rockies (June 28-July 1) and the San Diego Padres (July 26-29); a four-game weekend set vs. the New York Mets (July 5-8); and two late-season series vs. the Chicago Cubs (Aug. 6-9, Sept. 11-13). The Astros are also home for the July 4th holiday as part of a three-game series vs. the Philadelphia Phillies (July 2-4).

Syd Thrift, a former Director of Minor League Operations for the A's, GM of the Pirates, Assistant General Manager of the Cubs, senior vice president of baseball operations for the Yankees, and a man that finished his career from 1995 to 2002 with the Orioles, died today at 77. In total Thrift was a part of the front office landscape for nearly 50 years.

He is survived by his wife, Dolly, sons Jim and Mark and five grandchildren.

20 years ago, the Orioles opened a merchandising store in the heart of Washington, DC. Now, that 20-year run will come to an end when the lease expires at the end of December.

The Orioles' Farragut Square store will shut down, and in some senses, provide a victory for fans of the return of MLB to Washington, DC. It was well documented that Orioles owner Peter Angelos was very much against relocation of the Montreal Expos to DC, and at one point said, "There are no real baseball fans in DC."

"For Washington fans, the Orioles store on Farragut Square is a symbol, an emblem of all the years that we had no team and the Orioles did all they could to keep it that way," Colin Mills, president of the Nats Fan Club, said in an e-mail reply to a Sun query. "It's as if the British, after losing the revolution, had kept a royal office open in downtown Boston." (The Baltimore Sun)

"Our hope was to come to an agreement with the JPA before the end of the season," A's owner Lew Wolff said in a statement.

"The adjustment we offered seemed to me to be equitable and, in my mind, did not require months of delay. We will expect the JPA to honor the current agreement just as we have over the years, and continue to focus on finding another baseball-only venue in Alameda County."

The A's, who share the Coliseum with the NFL's Oakland Raiders, have been searching for a suitable location and funding for a new stadium for several years, branching their efforts into the surrounding area after locating no suitable sites in Oakland.

Recently, Wolff said that San Jose is not a relocation option for the A's given the territorial alignment that has the Giants controlling that county. Instead, Wolff has been in negotiations with Cisco Systems for 194 acres of land in Fremont that would allow Wolff to develop a Ballpark Villiage along with a new stadium.